Flashbang
| Entity = weapon_flashbang }} The flashbang is a type of grenade available in the ''Counter-Strike'' series. Overview The flashbang is composed of a pyrotechnic metal oxidant-mix of magnesium or aluminium, and an oxidiser such as potassium perchlorate. In all games, a bright flash of light will be released when the device explodes, blinding all players with a clear sight to it, including teammates (regardless if the option "friendly fire" is enabled or disabled), obscuring their entire screen with white for a maximum of 5 seconds. After Counter-Strike: Source, the flashbang will release a deafening bang in addition to the bright flash, hampering the hearing of all affected players. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, players who are near the explosion but do not have a view of the flashbang will still be blinded and deafened, albeit for a a very short moment. Note that it is possible to blind players when a flashbang explodes in smoke. In an in Global Offensive, an animation was introduced to display heavily blinded players. Those affected will have an arm partially covering their eyes. However, this does not affect their ability to use grenades and their weapons. Also, when watching on GOTV an icon of an eye with a cross (X) along with the text "blinded" will appear on the screen while following a player, but the spectator will not be blinded. When held, the player's movement speed is 250 units per second in Counter-Strike, meaning they suffer no speed reduction. However, in Source and Global Offensive, the player's movement speed is 245 units per second. In the PC version of Global Offensive, all grenades can be thrown at three different ranges. Using the primary fire throws the grenade at long range, using the secondary fire bounces the grenade at short range, and using both primary and secondary fire throws the grenade at medium range. By releasing one mouse button after the other, throws between the regular 3 can be achieved. There are a virtually infinite amount of ways to throw a grenade using this. Getting hit by a flying grenade in Source and Global Offensive deals a small amount of damage.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SnMwffT14BY Unlike other grenades, players can hold two flashbangs at once, except in Classic Casual mode. In Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes, players may hold three at once. Only one flashbang can be purchased/obtained in casual mode of Global Offensive. Meanwhile, two can be obtained in competitive mode. The flashbang in Deleted Scenes can render enemies unable to attack while stunned. This also applies for friendly NPCs. Advantages *Blinds enemies *It makes a loud noise (Deleted Scenes and Counter-Strike: Source only) *Easily flushes out small, enemy-concentrated areas *The only grenade that can be carried in a higher quantity than the other ones excluding Deleted Scenes (2 maximum) ** Two in most Counter-Strike games and in competitive mode in Global Offensive. ** Up to three in Deleted Scenes. *One of the cheapest grenades in the ''Counter-Strike'' series *Temporarily deafens players, preventing them from hearing the sound of approaching footsteps (Source and Global Offensive). Disadvantages *Affected enemies can still move around and use their weapons *Blinded players will often spray, so getting close to a blinded enemy can be risky *A high chance of flashing and blinding your own teammates and even yourself if not thrown properly *No explosion damage to enemies *Less effective against enemies who are far away (they may only be blinded for one second) *Less useful in open areas Gameplay Tactics *Flashbangs in tight corridors cannot be easily avoided, even for players who quickly look away as they can only minimize the effects. **Use these stun grenades in closed rooms to create confusion among enemy players. Blinded players are easy targets and can hardly react so finish them off quickly although, some enemies will blindly spray bullets. *Using a flashbang is extremely helpful against campers, note that campers hiding around corners will be more likely to shoot blindly after being flashed. *Throw a flashbang at areas wherever suspected enemy gunfire is heard as this can offer you the chance to eliminate blinded targets, give more room to escape, or even move around them if you think that you can avoid their bullets. **Try to throw a flashbang when enemies are occupied and do not notice you, specifically from behind. Generally, if friendly fire is enabled, groups of opposing team members will normally be very reluctant to fire their weapons thus making it easier for you to eliminate them. **Do not get into the habit of peeking around areas and throwing this grenade as it is more recommended to throw a flashbang at suspected enemy locations without looking. Enemies may be anticipating your movement and they will try to eliminate you before you can throw it, or use this timing to kill you while you are holding a flashbang. **You can use the wall-bouncing tactic to throw the flashbang without exposure to enemy fire, but careful though, you might flash yourself or your teammates. *If you think you're about to be cornered, use a flashbang and retreat. If you absolutely have to be blinded, try to minimize the effect by looking away after you throw the stun grenade. *Do not assume it's safe to enter an area where a flashbang went off. Skilled enemies may avoid being blinded and they can surprise careless targets that try to rush in. *Be cautious if playing with bots in Source version; stunned bots will often spray their weapon blindly. * A "pop-flash" is often used at higher-level play. This means the flash explodes within a split second of it being seen by the enemy. This can be extremely effective to blind enemies around corners if thrown perfectly. To achieve this, bounce or throw the flashbang from a longer distance due to the short fuse time. * In confined areas, it's possible to combine a smoke grenade with a flashbang, pop smoke first, as most players will look into it; then, plant a flashbang inside the smoke to blind them. * In more open-spaced maps like Dust2, it is possible to throw a flashbang over a wall or doors to blind someone behind it. * In CS:GO, the flashbang can be combined with decoy grenade to multiply the chaos for the enemy due to a bug/glitch. Throwing a flashbang right after a decoy in the same spot WILL NOT blind you at all and WILL still blind all other players near by. Use this tactic for an almost guaranteed kill until it is patched (still effective as of July 13,2015). Counter-tactics *Run away or take cover if a thrown flashbang is spotted. **Looking away from a flashbang when it explodes will reduce its effect on you. However, be warned that enemies may take advantage of this and they can eliminate a blinded victim if his view is not set upon assailants. *If you have been blinded by a flashbang, you can either fire your weapon continuously at the direction of suspected enemy positions (although it may lead to your team members being injured if friendly fire is enabled or accidentally harming any possible hostages), throw a flashbang of your own, or fall back, do not move forward, and find cover. **If enemies do not have visual contact, avoid firing bullets which can help you to remain concealed. *If an opponent is around the corner, listen for the (metal) "bouncing sound". It could be a warning sign of an incoming grenade, including a live flashbang. **Experienced players will usually burst-fire their weapon (if they suspect enemies have seen them before a flashbang went off) and retrace their steps to find adequate cover. If done correctly, enemies may search the area and not be able to figure out that targets had previously occupied that section. *Although not recommended, it is possible to rush at enemies who just threw a flashbang or shoot the enemy while he is holding the flashbang. They will need time to draw a firearm so this may be your best chance to eliminate them (before being blinded). Achievements Counter-Strike: Source= ; Kill ; Special |-| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive= ; Combat Skills Trivia * In the GoldSrc games, the model of the flashbang, alongside the smoke grenade and HE grenade, is a retextured version of the CS grenade model, featuring different color stripes. ** The CS grenade (and by extension, the flashbang) is modeled after M7A3 CS gas grenade. *** The text "M7A3 RIOT CS" can be seen on the flashbang in Counter-Strike. * The flashbang in Global Offensive is modeled after the M84 stun grenade. * In Beta 1.0, the behavior of the flashbang was close to the grenade in Half-Life. For instance, players were able to cook the grenade. However, if cooked too long, it will explode in your hands, thus blinding yourself. * Like every other grenade in real life, the flashbang had an ability to release shrapnel when it exploded, causing damage to nearby players, and was named a concussion grenade. This ability for the flashbang was removed when Beta 6.0 came out. ** Since Counter-Strike: Source, the flashbang has been capable of dealing 1 hp of damage if it hits a player when thrown. * There are references to this weapon in the Left 4 Dead game files, hinting that it may have been planned to appear in the game at some point. * In real life, a flashbang can blind for up to 20 minutes; needless to say, this was significantly shortened in the game for obvious balance reasons. Enemies can only be affected for a few seconds. ** In reality, the flashbang is somewhat lethal despite being able only to incapacitate enemies: the concussive blast of the detonation can still injure, and the heat created can ignite flammable materials such as fuel. In fact, the fires that occurred during the Iranian Embassy siege in London were caused by stun grenades. * In some rare situations, if a player is right in front a flashbang that is about to explode, other players who look at the blocking player may actually not be affected by the stun grenade. * When the player kills someone with the flashbang, there will be two HUD icons and they are unique compared to the other kill icons of the other grenades and weapons. ** It will be much larger. ** It would have the same size as a normal kill icon but the icon will appear sightly below the area where a normal icon would appear. ** This is possibly a reference to the fact that despite the design of the flashbang being non-lethal, it has killed people in real life. * When deafened in Counter-Strike: Source, the "bleep" sound is reused from Half-Life 2 when the player is injured and deafened by explosions. * In reality, flashbangs are meant to be exclusively used by Counter-Terrorist forces. It's likely that the Terrorists have access to using flashbangs because of the black market. * In GoldSrc games, even if a player is blinded, it is still possible to see through a scope, view player scores, and keep informed of players' deaths. In Source, these were removed. * Prior to the introduction of the decoy grenade in Global Offensive, the flashbang was the cheapest grenade. ** This grenade seems to be Terrorist exclusive as NPC CT operatives never throw a flashbang. * When a bot is blinded in Condition Zero and Source, they will refrain from shooting most of the time and simply run to a corner, or crouching, then spraying their bullet without retreating. In Global Offensive, they will always spray bullets and run backwards. References Flashbang kill video External links *Flashbang at Wikipedia Category:Grenades Category:Equipment